Report: League tells Steelers two calls were blown on Monday night

Posted by Mike Florio on November 12, 2010, 12:40 PM EDT

The Cold War between the Steelers and the league office continues.

Two weeks ago the NFL smacked Vikings coach Brad Childress with a $35,000 fine due in part to his decision to disclose that the league privately apologized for incorrectly removing from the scoreboard a touchdown that tight end Visanthe Shiancoe had scored.

Now, someone has disclosed to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the fact that the league has informed the Steelers of two blown calls in Monday night’s game against the Bengals.

Specifically, the league advised the Steelers that a fourth-quarter roughing the passer penalty against defensive tackle Casey Hampton should not have been called because Hampton hit Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer in the thigh, not the knee. The league also told the Steelers that, on the very next play, a pass interference penalty should not have been called against cornerback Ike Taylor. The infraction, drawn by Bengals receiver Terrell Owens, gave Cincinnati a first down at the Pittsburgh one. Two plays later, Bengals running back Cedric Benson scored, cutting the Pittsburgh lead to 27-21.

A last-minute drive by the Bengals fizzled at the Pittsburgh 12; otherwise, the mistakes would have directly contributed to the outcome.

On the surface, the news should undermine the widely-held perception that the zebras secretly wear black and yellow stripes. Then again, the fact that the league admitted the blunders to the Steelers will reinforce the suspicions of those who suspect that the Rooneys carry the league office around in their back pockets.

We think that the disclosure, which undoubtedly came from the Steelers to their hometown newspaper, heightens current tensions between the franchise and 280 Park Avenue. Ever since linebacker James Harrison absorbed a $75,000 fine, the Steelers have been openly complaining about the league’s approach to hits against defenseless receivers. More recently, safety Troy Polamalu has spoken out regarding the Commissioner’s power and the league’s system for imposing and reviewing fines.

Now that the Steelers, by all appearances, have breached protocol and blabbed about the officiating errors, the league office will not be pleased.

How about that so called “holding” call against Cinn in the second quarter at midfield that whiped out the 12 yard pass play that would have been a first down and instead it became a first and 22? Palmer threw a interception on 3rd down in that series trying to get the extra yardage for a first down. Nobody has benefited from the refs more than the “Stealers”. Just ask Seattle, Arizona and Oakland.

I really wish the steelers team plane would crash into a active volcano with every player coach member of the Rooney family and personal dept on board leading to matt millen and al Davis taking over the franchise and hiring Josh mcdaniels as head of football operations I pray everynight that this exact scenario would happen

Or what about the non-touchdown they gave the Steelers? They probably would have scored anyway but the league isn’t calling the Bengals to tell them where they f’d up. Must be nice to have the league in your back pocket Rooney. Yeah everyone is whining about Harrison’s fines this year but he brought those on himself by whining and crying saying he was going to retire if the league isn’t going to let him cheat. So he deserves every fine he gets.

And why doesn’t the league think it is a good idea to hire full time refs? At least the outcome of the game didn’t change because of the two blown calls but it sure kept the audience watching. Gee, I wonder why the NFL ratings are up this year.

First, please take note Baltimore/Seattle/Miami fans etc.. It is still possible to win games when the officials blow multiple calls against you, even on the road. It is called being the better team.

Secondly, the league makes apologies to teams all the time for blown calls. People only make a big deal out of it when the Steelers are involved. Call it Steeler envy. Sure to be LOTS of it in this thread, including by it’s author!

[i]Still[/i] whining about Shiancoe bobbling the ball into a different position as he landed on it in the endzone three weeks ago? The refs got it right on the field. Replay proved it. [i]Move on![/i] If the Packers win the rematch on 11/21, you’re probably going to still be crying about it in January.

“Now that the Steelers, by all appearances, have breached protocol and blabbed about the officiating errors, the league office will not be pleased.”
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This sentence wreaks of anti-Steelers sentiment by PFT. Just last week PFT reported that the league admitted it blew 2 calls in the Vikings vs Packers game. They also posted a link to the league admitting a blown call in a Ravens game earlier this year.

However when the league admits it blew a call against the Steelers Florio says the Steelers broke protocol and the league will not be pleased. WHAT A SLANTED BIASED CROCK!!!

Let me get this straight. The league on upon review can tell that the thigh, not the knee, 6 inches lower was hit by Hampton, but they can’t tell which whole body came up with Roethlisbergers fumble in Miami. That’s just awesome.

Still waiting to hear exactly how Harrison was awarded an interception a week later by the league on a ball that plainly and clearly bounced off the ground.

rationalize your irrational hatred and jealousy! Dance puppets, DANCE!!!! love coming here to hear you haters, whiners, and envious beings that you are! must be a conspiracy to cover the conspiracy to cover the over-arching conspiracy. sounds about right…this is hilarious.

kennyfukinpowers:
please go and check the thread on the ravens-falcons game from last nite. if roddy white pushed off, then you HAVE TO shut up about Darrell Jackson’s way more obvious push.

This is hilarious – an article about how calls were made in error against the Steelers, and the conspiracy theorists still manage to twist it into Steeler favoritism.

Every game has calls where one team benefits and the other suffers – and it happens to both teams every game. If you don’t believe that, then your momma raised a dummy (and I ain’t talking about your brother or sister). The only reason it looks to some like the Steelers are receiving biased officiating, is because the Steelers more often than not win. It is the loosing side that looks at the bad calls that went against them and cries. The winning team, they have noting to cry about so they move on.

Either that clears it up for many of your, or you will still be waiting for the Black Helicopters to take you to Area 51 to show you how the moon landing was faked.

an eye for an eye!!!!!!!! nfl announces on the loudspeaker the player who committed the lunder/error/aka penalty. fair enough! do the same for the ref right now andafter the game like when a player has been fined or suspended a game or so do the same for the ref. this is a pile of bull. those nfl refs do what thwey are told/ and fans watching the game on national tv to the very end means highest rating. this is no longer a sport for the owners it is entertainment business.who committed the eror/blunder

Nice post tk1966. Nice to see a rational thought out non biased or emotional response.

The funny thing is, the league has admitted to screwing the Steelers on calls about a half dozen times in recent years. Vs San Diego, vs Indy, vs Cincy etc.. The funny thing is, the Steelers won every single one of those games, by persevering and winning instead of crying about a blown call.

But sure, there is a perception the refs favor the Steelers. You know why? Because the Steelers WIN FOOTBALL GAMES!!! They win when they get calls against them, and calls for them. Other teams just sit and cry about calls after games, the Steelers fight through them and win anyway.

It’s also funny how people accuse the Rooney family of paying off refs when in reality, the Rooneys are some of the poorest owners in the league. But somehow that won’t stop idiots like Seahawks fans from rationalizing the Rooneys money and influence is somehow greater than Paul Allen’s.

japdouds says:
Nov 12, 2010 12:58 PM
First, please take note Baltimore/Seattle/Miami fans etc.. It is still possible to win games when the officials blow multiple calls against you, even on the road. It is called being the better team.

Secondly, the league makes apologies to teams all the time for blown calls. People only make a big deal out of it when the Steelers are involved. Call it Steeler envy. Sure to be LOTS of it in this thread, including by it’s author!
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Steeler envy? You probably don’t even live in Pittsburgh, just one of those transplant fans that only roots for teams when they’re winning. Check the record Einstein, Baltimore beat Pissburgh in their own stadium…so yeah I guess it is called being the better team

kennyfukinpowers says:
Nov 12, 2010 12:50 PM
How about that so called “holding” call against Cinn in the second quarter at midfield that whiped out the 12 yard pass play that would have been a first down and instead it became a first and 22?
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That’s the thing: The refs screw up calls all the time. They screw up calls that go against teams that lose, and they screw up calls that go against teams that win. It’s the nature of the beast (having humans officiate the games, and wiggle room in the rule book for what could technically be a penalty or not). If the league wanted to completely get rid of all penalties and blown calls, they’d have 100 refs out on the field, cameras covering every conceivable angle (including in the turf), etc. They don’t do that because it would be ridiculous and bad calls are a part of the game. I’d be willing to bet that every team routinely gets an “Oops” memo from the league, probably every week outlining bad calls. The thing is, the Steelers are so accustomed to having calls go their way, that when they get an “Oops” memo, it makes headlines.

Besides, how many pass interference calls are suspect?, and how many does the league come out and correct? Think about it. Will they say something about the missed call last night when White shoved down the Ravens defender? Doubt it.

No need for the league to apologize, the Steelers have benefitted from blown calls more than they have been hampered by them. Regardless, while the NFL leadership keep looking for little things to fix or tweak, they have consistently ignored the elephant in the room…NFL officiating has been horrible for years. That is partly due to poor training, possible bias, and creative interpretations but the main reason is that the rules are written so poorly that any viewpoint can be justified depending on the situation. Simplify the rules and train the officials.

“Or what about the non-touchdown they gave the Steelers? They probably would have scored anyway but the league isn’t calling the Bengals to tell them where they f’d up. Must be nice to have the league in your back pocket Rooney.”

Not pointing out that one benefits the Bengals and Marvin Lewis. It would only add insult to injury for the biggest joke of a franchise in the league and point out the already obvious ineptitude of Marvin Lewis for not challenging. It without question would have been overturned if he had done so. But then again, he was probably scared due to his idiotic challenge a few plays earlier. They did the Bungals a favor by just leaving that one alone.

oh BOO-HOO the steelers get EVERY CALL EVER it’s about time a few went against them. they won the game anyways, who cares?
they should be thrilled that the calls that shouldn’t have been didn’t cost them a game…and even more thrilled that bad calls GAVE them a game they didn’t win against Miaimi earlier this year.

Completely agree with @japdouds with the ” take note Baltimore/Seattle/Miami/Arizona/etc fans etc.. It is still possible to win games when the officials blow multiple calls against you, even on the road. It is called being the better team.” thing.

Other than that, there’s a lot of team JEALOUSY in this thread…tsk tsk tsk, it’s a VERY stinky cologne, haters.

/After the Pit/NE game this weekend, should be a good indicator of who’s the best team in the league… We shall seeeeeee…..

I wonder if the Rooney’s care what the league office says. I mean, if the Rooney’s really wanted to clear the place out, they could. The old-time team owners have considerable power. Especially the Rooneys. And their in-laws, the Maras. Not really someone the comish would want to anger if he wants to keep his job.

By far the worst call in the game was against the Bengals in the first half and it completely turned the game around. Totally bogus and late flag thrown against the Bengals for holding when it clearly wasn’t holding. Totally obscene. The Bengals had ALL the momentum at that point in time and the Bengals ended up losing a possession because of it.

When, oh when are NFL fans ever going to realize the facts. The NFL officiates games to keep them as close as they can, especially in primetime games. I know all you naysayers want to deny it, but its TRUE. They don’t want the Steelers stopping the Bengals and keeping the game 27-14 with less than 10 min in the 4th. They don’t want people flipping the channel. Exhibit A, the “pass interference” on Ike Taylor. Perfect way to get the Bengals on the 1 yard line and make the game tight. Next play, Cedric Benson plunges in for a “touchdown.” Seriously, did he even get in? NO he didn’t. But guess what, can’t challenge because of “not enough conclusive evidence.” Thus, the NFL got what they wanted…a game decided on a final drive in the final seconds.

THE NFL IS ALL ABOUT RATINGS AND TV REVENUE. NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE ALL WANT TO DENY IT, ITS ALL JUST A SHOW.

Week after week, year after year we keep getting apologies from the NFL about how “this penalty should have been called,” or “sorry, I guess it was a catch.” When is it going to stop.

Other teams just sit and cry about calls after games, the Steelers fight through them and win anyway.
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Yes but even during the Bengals game they gave a TD to Ward when he was clearly a half yard short. We know that not always can you make up that .5 yard.
This isn’t the first time someone has come p short and the steelers profited from it. The 2nd time the steelers won the Super Bowl they got a favorable call during the Ravens game. That game them the lead in a tight game, which eventually gave them home turf advantage. Other wise it would’ve been 4th and 1, and they would’ve had to kick a Fg to tie the game.
By having home turf advantage, they faced WAYYYYYYYYYYYYY easier opponents in route to their 2nd superbowl under the guy who got a favorable call from the cops. Oops i mean he didn’t do anything but got a 4 game suspension for doing nothing. Anone else probably would’ve not gotten the suspension reduced down so they could play a game that meant something to the Steelers playoff hopes.

The Steelers must have made their payment to the zebras…. It was getting a little tense there. Glad they made up.
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Aww, look! How cute, the little kitty cat troll KAZ finally showed up after the Steelers beat his Bengals around.

Check the record Einstein, Baltimore beat Pissburgh in their own stadium…so yeah I guess it is called being the better team

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…and Pittsburgh beat Atlanta, so I guess Pittsburgh is better than Atlanta, who beat Baltimore so that means Pittsburgh is better than Baltimore, too. And Pittsburgh beat Cincinnati, who beat Baltimore, etc. We can play this game all day. And we can do that while ignoring the fact that Baltimore beat the Steelers who were using a fourth string QB, and won by a Reed missed FG.

And kudos on the “Pissburgh” line. Very clever. How long did it take you to come up with that one? I guess you are the superior intelect ’cause you are a master at name calling. (Unless you count how I am going to turn the table and call it “Butt-imore”! Get it? I substituted the first part of the city name with something offensive! HaHaHaHa! Whew, so damn funny)

semperfi24 says:
Nov 12, 2010 1:12 PM
Wasnt it estimated that Rodney Harrison was fined $250,000 in his career for “dirty hits”???

James Harrison is going to break that number by seasons end…..and yet all of the Steelers fans always point to Rodney Harrison as the poster child for dirty play…
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Rodney Harrison is only discussed as a dirty player because he was voted the dirtiest in the league in the same SI poll that Hines “won” last year. When so many folks jumped up on their pulpit about what a dirty player Hines is based on that poll, Rodney’s name got brought up to fight off wave after wave of NE fans that showed up to bait and troll.

Why defend him anyway? He wasn’t that good, rarely played a full season, and embarrassed himself after the injury and PED’s.

ROFL … is this supposed to be news? We all knew that when we were watching the game. Since we won, I’m not overly bothered by the Hampton call. Everyone is entitled to make mistakes, including officials. And we’ve had some officiating errors go in our favor just like everyone else.

But I’m still extremely disturbed by the interference call because of how it happened. The official who was on top of it refused to throw the flag even when that disgusting person SCREAMED like a lunatic in his face. But some official we couldn’t even see on the TV, who wasn’t even near the play, threw the flag from the other side of the field. For what? To appease a spoiled-rotten tyrant for throwing a tantrum? That’s ridiculous and the official should be disciplined. It was obvious there was no infraction, and the official standing right there said there was no infraction. Infantile pseudo-celebrity players should not be able to command flags on a whim.

Why are these things suppose to be secrets? Who pays for those seats? We do. The refs should be fined when they call a wrong play. It is simple as that. When Troy comes out and says something as soft spoken as he is… that just screams to the fans! Bad calls cost wins/losses. Wins/losses count for money to the players and the owners. I say all those bad call games should be “do overs” at the end of the regular season and the NFL pays for them. Where’s all that “fined” money going anyways?

This has to be the bias football site on the web..
Florio is a huge steeler fan. I cant believe NBC would even put thir name on this site its bascially a steeler fan site..
Florio does bash ESPN but he does the same thing they do, they both trash the raiders win or lose, But ofcourse he says they only bash teams who are not that good but that does not make much sense to me because the raiders are the best team in the NFL this year…
Bring it next week florio.If you had balls you would bet me. If steelers win I will donate
20,000 $ to any charity or to you u want but if raiders win YOU SHUT DOWN THIS STEELER WEBSITE! I’am gona get a petition together lets see if you will back down

If you’re posting from the West Coast, 2:28 is a little early in the day to be drunk out of your skull. $20,000?? You need to do a little research on what a site like this is worth, numbskull.

He’s not a Steelers fan, you idiot. He’s gutted us ALL SUMMER and has been ripping us for weeks on the Harrison/Polamalu thing. You must have the IQ of a frog. Every rips on the Raiders–although I think they’re a much improved team and would never just assume we’ll beat them, especially after last year.

Some guy posted a link to an article where Florio supposedly said he’s a lifelong Vikes fan.